09/25/06
Filed under:
General
Posted by: Joe @ 4:26 pm
I’ve had the opportunity to correspond with guitarist Russell Dashiell, formerly of the Beau Gentry who played often at the Pop House. Russ is a great guy who shared his memories of that time with me. He said that promoter Ken Adamany booked them for a Wisconsin tour during the summer of 1966, so they drove up from Florida where they originally had formed. Russ says “One of [the Beau Gentry’s] very first gigs was at The Pop House in Beloit, Wisconsin and the place was packed. The band really enjoyed the gig, appreciating the supportive audience, and within those first few weeks in Wisconsin they realized they had found an excellent market for their music.” The Beau Gentry would return to the Pop House numerous times over the next couple of years. They built a strong following in Wisconsin and Illinois. After the Beau Gentry, Russ and drummer Rick Jaeger regrouped with two members of the recently dissolved band, The Heard, and called their new group Masque. I remember first seeing Masque perform at The Meadow in Janesville. They also played at the Pop House. By the end of 1968, Russ continued his successful musical career in California, writng original music and recording with a band named Crowfoot. Upon the dissolution of that band, Russ went into the studio to record for Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky,” which sold over a million copies. I hope to include more about about the Beau Gentry in my book. Today, Russ continues to write and record original music in California and Hawaii. He considers his current work to be his most important… the development of an animated film feature called “Foreverland Forest.” You can check out his original music on his web site: http://spiritguitar.com/ . Thanks, Russ.
Russ Dashiell is in the lower right. Standing L-to-R are: Rick Jaeger, Doug ‘Chico’ Killmer & Lance Massey.
(Courtesy of Russell Dashiell.)